Glasses and C2H6O
by xylence
Summary: Tumblr one-shots & drabbles. [Accepting prompts]
1. Archimedes

Gail and Holly had been fast asleep for most of the night. Their legs tangled together, and a faint sound of snoring filled the silence of the night. The brunette's arm lazily draped over the pale frame and was snuggled close to her lover.

A door creaked open and a patter of light steps came from the bottom floor. Gail stirred a bit before opening her eyes. She shook her head and leaned back, nestling into the warmth of Holly's body.

Another creak sounded, and the sound of a soft thump echoed. Gail stirred again and pulled her head up peering at the door.

" Holly," Gail whispered and shook the sleeping woman.

" Gail, I'm not really in the mood for another round of assuage my girlfriend's midnight fantasies." She mumbled and turned her body while pulling the duvet over her shoulders.

Another noise echoed.

Gail shook the woman awake, " Holly go in the closet."

" Move it, now." Gail pushed the woman out of bed much to the brunette's protest.

" I think someone is in here. Just stay here okay?" Gail passed Holly her glasses and softly opened her bedside drawer. She pulled her gun out and loaded a clip inside.

Holly's tired eyes were alert now. In all the months they have been together and before that, they never had a burglar set foot into her apartment. She pulled at Gail's forearm before she could go." Gail, just stay in here it isn't safe, we can call 911."

" I am 911, just stay here. I'll go check."

Gail kissed Holly's forehead and quietly closed the door shut. She carefully walked down the stairs and had her pistol aimed at every corner. Her heart was pounding against her chest as she walked across the hall.

A plate crashed to the floor, and Gail immediately pushed her body against the wall and inched towards the kitchen. Another creak sounded.

" Police, put your hands up!" She yelled and revealed herself in the kitchen doorway with her gun aimed down her sights and a finger ready to pull the trigger.

" Meow." A feral sound emitted from the orange cat.

Gail cursed and held a death glare at the cat, Archimedes.

" Gail? Are you okay? " Holly's voice sounded as she heard her footsteps coming down the stairs.

" It's your fucking cat Holly! It was the fucking cat." Gail groaned as she flipped her finger on the safety and pulled out the magazine.

" I thought you put him in the cage with Yoda?" Holly said as she walked based Gail and began to clean up the fragments of the plate.

" I did! " Gail complained and picked up the orange ball of fur.

" Maybe Yoda used the force to open it?" Holly laughed.

Gail rolled her eyes. " Yoda is a smart cat, he wouldn't want to have all hell break loose even if he did have the power of the force."

Gail held Archimedes as it growled and started clawing at her sweatshirt. " This cat hates me Hols." Gail glared at the cat, trying hard not to strangle it. It looked straight back at her and hissed, the blonde woman could've sworn it had an evil glint in its eyes.

xxx

_**Author's Note: Random one hour one-shot. No edits. I really wish I had the artistic talent of drawing out comics of my fics, but they would probably consist of stick figures and stick pets. I really have nothing else better to do than write random stuff about Gail and Holly. Anyways…yeah. **_


	2. Calculus

Author's Note: Something really random I felt like sharing. I like calculus.

" Okay, so when finding the Integrals of a function it's going backwards from differentiation. " Holly pushed her glasses on the bridge of her nose as she started to scrawl down numbers furiously. This had to have been the fifth time she was explaining this.

" I just see the word Sex."

" It's the integral of e to the exponent x which changes to, e to the x plus C Gail."

" Sex-C, Get it?" Gail laughed at her own joke and took a sip of her Tequila.

" I could call the cops on you, you know."

" You can just talk to my mother then."

Holly rolled her eyes and wrote down another problem. Elaine Peck was a force to be reckon with and Holly would rather not experience Elaine Peck when she was angry.

" Here just try this" She handed the pencil to Gail who pulled it out of her hand and proceeded to poke her with it.

" I'm so glad your mother is paying me a lot to tutor you." Holly frowned as she watched the blonde work out the problem. Gail Peck was the class clown and ever since they were young Holly was always on the receiving end of her 'pranks'. She was reluctant to tutor the girl, but Elaine Peck offered her a huge sum of money that she couldn't refuse.

" You forgot the +C Gail. AGAIN." She sighed in defeat.

" That's the only grade I'm going to ever get with your shitty tutoring Nerd."

" Well I've written and explained the same instructions for the past hour to you. And here you are probably not even listening, drinking Tequila and eating junk food, all day, every single day I tutor you."

" Speak English to me when you're tutoring and then I'll listen."

Holly bit the end of her pencil and frustration, watching as the tip of the eraser flung somewhere across the room. " Blondes….no I'm sorry **you **specifically, don't even understand the English language."

" That's a low blow Stewart. This is why you're the nerd and I'm the bully."

" Just do the stinkin' problem, please." Holly added the nice gesture and urged the blonde to work.

" Finally, blondie gets a problem correct." Holly checked her non-existent watch and tapped at her wrist."...After an hour? I say that's a new record!"

" Fuck you."

" Is that an invitation? Because you're not my type."

"The lesbians love me Holly, I'm everybody's type." Gail scoffed slightly offended by the comment.

" Just wait till these integrals get harder. The +C's won't even change to D's. You're just going straight to F."

" That's why I have my wonderful tutor, right?" Gail batted her eyelashes while leaning towards Holly to whisper in her ear. She smirked and pecked her cheek quickly. It was always easy for Gail to figure out when a girl was interested in her.

" Can you not do that?" Holly fumbled with her glasses trying to hide the blush.

"Do what?" She said innocently."...Make you all hot and bothered?"

" Hahaha only in your wet nympho dreams Peck."

Holly handed her a worksheet full of calculus problems that she prepared for today's tutoring session. Gail could only groan as she looked at the 30 problems she had to do for the next hour.

Holly pulled out her French notebook to try and get ahead on the lessons and homework for the next day. She figured Gail would take longer than an hour so it only made sense that she got something done rather than watch Gail and comment on the neverending mistakes.

Gail worked diligently for about 15 minutes, a personal record for her, before she got sidetracked by the soft whispers to her left. Blue eyes peered over at the brunette who nearly had her face in the book whispering out conjugations like a schizophrenic. Gail pulled scraps of paper from her notebook and rolled them into small paper spheres. The blonde silently giggled to herself as she flicked them over Holly's head, the nerd being completely unaware of her surroundings.

Her fun was short-lived when she ran out of her ammo of paper. Gail leaned over to Holly's side of the table and peered at the work she had been doing.

" Those conjugations are wrong."

" No they're not." Holly continued working through her homework trying her best to ignore Gail.

" You use the verb être not avoir for those specific verbs."

Holly sighed and looked at her textbook. She was surprised to see that the blonde was correct. " Has all hell frozen over or did Gail Peck just teach me something?"

" Glad to see you've acknowledged the genius that is Gail Peck, four eyes."

" That is so elementary school."

" Whatever…"


	3. Surprise

_**Author's Note: My take on what happens kind of after 5.10...well way after.**_

* * *

After many years on the field, Gail still hated those weird gut feelings that would sit in the pit of her stomach until, surprise, it happened to present itself. On those days she felt out of loop and her demeanor was way more on edge. Today was one of those days.

The wind swept against her skin as she pulled the beanie down her face and felt her hair tickle the edge of her jaw. She let it grow out a bit longer, similar to the style from her rookie days.

Looking back, those first few months on the job were almost bittersweet; she developed friendships with the others, which had led to becoming a close-knit family. But at the same time, everyone, including them, gave her a hard time for carrying the Peck name. It used to effect her, but she didn't care anymore.

Gail didn't reflect much, it was just one of those weird off days again, but it had been months since she was a blue collar. She had to admit, she sometimes missed it. Being a detective while keeping up with the whole 'mother' domesticity had gotten easier. Gail was never the type to lead, but here she was, steering the reins of her own life.

" Mom, can you let go of my hand now?" Sophie tugged at her sleeve trying to get Gail's attention.

" What?" Gail shook her head from the daze she was in.

" What the what?"

" Oh, right, school. Sorry Soph." Gail unclasped her hand from her daughter's and bent down to embrace her.

" Bye mom!"

Gail waved at her and paused, " Wait Sophie your lunchbox!"

" I'm going to be so late because of you!" The girl bounded back and retrieved the red, tin lunchbox from her mother.

" Don't worry, I can just arrest them." The blonde smiled and watched her daughter run through the gates as the morning bell rang.

* * *

Gail walked through the police station hall as she looked over the morning reports that were jammed into her box. _So this was the surprise._ The woman continued to skim through the files as she headed towards the squad room.

" She's back." An officer whispered.

" Yeah, I heard." A woman responded.

" Gosh, I can't believe she's back. I heard so much about her."

" This will be interesting."

Gail glared at the officers huddled by the squad room entrance and they immediately silenced.

" Morning Detective Peck." one of the rookie's muttered.

Gail walked over to Oliver who stood in the front of the room as all the officers filed in.

" Why is everyone being weird today?" the blonde said as she pulled off her beanie and fixed her hair.

Oliver looked at her with a weird expression and shrugged his shoulders. " I dunno. There's more files in your office."

" Ugh okay, whatever." Gail turned on her heel and stalked off and out of the squad room.

She continued to read over her files until she was stopped abruptly by a brick wall and was met with her spine against the floor. White, blue, and tan papers set off into different directions in the area, and all she could do at the moment was sit up and rub her head for a second.

" The fuck?"

She quickly deciphered her files in the messy array and started to gather them in a stack. She did not want to deal with this right now.

She paused for a moment as her fingertips brushed against a pair of black rimmed glasses. She furrowed her brow and stood up in confusion.

" Oh uh…those are..uh mine." Olive skinned fingers brushed against hers and grabbed the pair of glasses.

Gail closed her eyes briefly before tilting her head up to meet a familiar pair of eyes.

They looked at each other. They stared for a good while, almost having an unspoken battle of who could blink first, but Gail shook her head.

" Hi."

" Uh..Hi." Holly said.

" Hi.."

" You said that already."

Gail just stared in disbelief at the woman in front of her. Holly's face hadn't aged a day since she left. She wanted to smile when she noticed a familiar lab coat and ID, which was slightly altered with the new fine print of 'Chief Medical Examiner of Toronto', but she refrained from doing so.

All the memories she stitched up felt like they were being gnawed at as all of her pent up emotions leaked out. She had so much to say, but nothing at all.

Gail wasn't a runner, she was a little more mature now, but she quickly turned on her heel in the opposite direction. It seemed justifiable since the fact that, that woman left her first. Gail never really did like surprises.


	4. Wedding Nights

Gail stood by her usual spot right next to the bar. Whenever she had that weird tingly sense that someone was approaching, she would nonchalantly prance over to the bar and grab a drink. Social avoidance was always successful with Gail Peck.

Gail didn't really do weddings.

Although, Gail was never the type to really do anything that had the her name and people attached to it. She had a hatred towards the general population, probably due to the many years of seeing stupidity at its best in the eyes of a police officer. The hatred only grew with every slushie thrown at her face. Gail definitely did not enjoy those days.

But with weddings, they required her to be social and mingle with people she could care less about. Especially when they were officer weddings. That meant every conversation would always sway along the lines of her family name, Elaine Peck, or the upcoming detective rotations. Gail had to talk to everyone because they all knew her, either by her family name or by the blonde-sarcastic-officer of 15.

Hell, Gail would probably hate her own wedding day. If she were to get married of course. Her and Holly had been together for over two years, and the doctor still hadn't proposed to the blonde woman. It wasn't like Gail was anxiously waiting whenever Holly said the words "Gail, I have something important to tell you." Nope. Gail wouldn't immediately stop what she was doing and feel her heart palpitate in her chest in freak-out mode in hopes to hear those four words, but then be shot down every time when the subject was actually on household issues like bills, laundry, or scheduling conflicts. Gail just wanted to blame Holly's bad hiding skills with the shiny ring at this point. A few weeks ago, the blonde found the little box in the corner of the drawer under Holly's lingerie. For a forensic pathologist, Gail was a bit disappointed that Holly chose such a bad place to hide the ring; Gail could think of a million other better places like hiding it behind the disgusting healthy food Holly ate or in the laundry room that she never went to.

Gail tapped her fingers impatiently on the table waiting for the barista to come back from his break. The current techno song blared loudly in the reception hall like police sirens. Gail didn't like it one bit.

Honestly, Gail would rather exercise than be at this wedding. Her exercise would be walking three whole blocks along the street with a stupid rainbow flag in the air while being fed snacks by her lovely girlfriend. The snacks were probably to shut up her complaints about the heat or how stupid the pride parade was, but Gail didn't care. She would never pass up free snacks, holding Holly's hand, and being fed by Holly. Gail didn't do many things, but when it came to Holly she usually gave in. Gail loved Holly, there was no doubt about that.

Holly was Gail's person. To Gail, Holly was many things. She was the epitome of an encyclopedia, including random facts and ramblings that could go on for hours. Gail didn't mind that, she could listen to Holly go off on tangents with that cute voice that would stutter whenever the blonde batted her eyelashes or intimately inched closer in the morgue. Holly was also an adorable nerd with glasses who carried a dorky red lunchbox out on the job. But at the same time, outside of work the woman dressed quite stylishly minus her lazy days of flannel. Holly was surprisingly Gail's hard-liquor buddy as well. Gail and Holly were the dynamic duo of The Black Penny who out drank all the officers. And finally, Holly was the only person that could get Gail off her lazy ass and do something physical besides sex of course. The nerd with the labcoat was weirdly athletic. It was shown when Gail got her butt kicked in the batting cages, ice skating rink, and the local swimming. Gail appreciated all that was Holly. What Gail loved most about Holly was that the brunette was simply her plus-one with anything and everything. Holly would willingly do anything with and for Gail.

Gail spotted the barista making his way back towards her. " Can I have two shots of Tequila...please" Gail asked. She couldn't believe Holly was getting her to say please more often. It was a nice word. Gail Peck didn't do nice words, that was more of Chloe Price's forte.

The man with the white button up shirt paused and looked at Gail quizzically.

" Are you Gail Peck?" The man asked, trying to recall the information he was given a few hours prior to the reception.

" Yes, now can I have alcohol please."

" Superintendent Elaine Peck has ordered that I cannot give alcohol to you."

Gail glared, " Listen Gerald, you give me alcohol or..."

"or you will shoot me, stab me, arrest me…" Larry said, finishing the angry woman's sentence. He continued to polish the glasses with the napkin as he heard the puffs of frustration and fire coming from Gail. He had let out the beast, but he was prepared. " Superintendent Elaine Peck already informed me of the possible threats you would use. She said if you did anything to me then she will put you on desk duty for a month."

Gail huffed. _Unbelievable. _

" Really Gail? It's my wedding, the least you could do is put in the effort." Steve said as he patted Gail's shoulder. Gail shrugged his arm off in frustration. All she wanted was alcohol, was that really too much to ask?

"Brother."

" Can i get two shots of tequila Larry. " Steve asked.

" Shouldn't you be with your new wife."

Gail noticed as Steve pulled the two shot glasses from the bar table. "Give me one Steven."

"C'mon Gail, do I really have to lure you to the people with alcohol?" Steve said as he held the two cups in front of Gail and walked across the dance floor to their designated table.

Gail pulled her clutch from the bar and shot Larry a glare before leaving to follow Steve. She was tempted to flip the guy off, but he wasn't worth her well manicured finger.

" And the devil herself has arrived to grace us with her wonderful presence." Steve passed the shot of tequila to Gail as she sat down awkwardly at the table. Traci laughed, fixing the bouquet of flowers. She knew too well that the blonde never enjoyed the company of people unless it was in a setting that involved lots of alcohol.

" I'll be throwing them in 20 minutes Gail. I'm ready to see you tackle all the other women for it."

" Yeah, yeah, yeah Trace." Gail glanced at the woman before downing her shot of Tequila. She let her eyes wander the dance floor in search of Holly.

Gail spotted her nerd amongst all the bodies, she was dancing with Nick, Chloe, and Dov in the far corner. Even though Holly claimed that she wasn't a people person, Gail was impressed with how well she was able to socialize amongst all the officers.

" She's beautiful, isn't she?" Traci stood up and sat besides Gail. They both watched Holly dance quite impressively amongst all the drunk people. The woman was dressed in a deep blue v-neck cocktail dress with black heels. Today was one of the rare occasions that Gail had seen Holly in a dress. It really was a beautiful sight.

" I'm pretty sure you just got married, and that you're not gay."

" Be nice to me, it's my wedding day."

" I'm never nice."

" You're an angel when Holly is around."

" Shut up."

" Since when did you have other lesbian friends besides me and Holly?" Gail glared at two women that had inched closer to Holly as they were dancing.

" They were college friends Gail. They mean no harm."

Gail was already up and walking towards Holly before Traci could even finish her sentence. Gail was on a mission. The blonde woman walked across the dance floor and pushed her way through the crowd towards Holly.

" I thought you don't dance Gail?" Holly raised her eyebrow as she was being pulled the opposite direction and away from the new friends she was making.

" I don't dance."

" Then what are you doing?"

" Just teach me nerd. I should learn for when we get married right?"

" Who said I want to marry you?"

Gail huffed. " If I get down on one knee right now, and ask you to marry me what would you say."

" I'd ask you where the ring was."

" You, Holly Stewart, are the insane one."

" Just admit you were jealous." Holly laughed and pulled Gail close to her. " Keep your left hand on my shoulder and just leave your right hand where it is." Holly adjusted her position so the two could sway back and forth to the rhythm of the slow song. "Ow." Gail's foot accidentally planted itself on the tip of Holly's.

" Sorry, I'm bad at this whole dancing thing Hols."

" Just follow the pulse of the music and let your feet fall in tandem with mine."

" Why do you make everything sound like it came from a textbook. I feel-"

Holly tilted Gail's chin up with her finger and pressed her lips on the rambling blonde. She let her lips linger, just long enough for Gail to quit talking.

" You could've just told me to shut up Holly."

" Kisses out of no where is our way of saying shut up you talk too much." Holly captured Gail's lips once again and smiled into the kiss as Gail pulled the woman closer.

Gail pulled back." I'm not kidding about the whole proposing thing."

" I already know you've found the ring."

" What are you talking about?"

" I saw cheese puff flakes in the corner of my drawer."

* * *

Author's Note: Something quick that I wrote up from a Tumblr (xyylence) prompt.


	5. s p a c e

_**Author's Note: I was very wasted like 7 hours ago, and it was a response to a prompt on my tumblr (xyylence). Anyways, Enjoy. **_

* * *

"3"

"2"

"1"

"Blastoff, meeeeeoooooooow." I let my arms extend in front of me and maneuver my shoulders to dodge the incoming meteorites.

" Ow Fuck." The heat builds up around my body as I crash into a nebula, but I continue on. Crashing is a necessity.

I am Gail Peck. I live on the planet Mars. I have lived only 1300 summers, and I am a space pirate. I travel the galaxies far far away, unlike the stupid Earth people's Star Wars blasphemy. I travel with my jetpack and straightjacket. I learned how to use my jetpack when I was at the age of 1 summer; the straightjacket is so I don't slap people. My alien mother, Elaine Peck III, is a bitch. Firstly, she makes me wear this straightjacket because she claims that I am violent, which is a total lie. But obviously, since I am smart and intellectual I can get out of it easily. Secondly, she does not approve of my space pirate status because she thinks it will taint her oh-so-perfect God status. I don't care she's still a bitch.

"OW!" I see my arm fly off into the distance.

"Where are you going arm, come back here! How did you escape my straightjacket!" I flutter my legs in a swimming motion and bite my severed arm that is floating off into the distance.

I giggle as the red liquid floats around like pudding. Thick and red. I love blood pudding.

My teeth clench harder as an unknown force pulls my severed arm from my mouth.

" Hey you, squirt. Give me my damn arm black please.."

My eyeball pops out of my socket.

" What the fuck."

The person comes into my vision and looked straight at me. My jaw drops.

With my one eye, I could tell she was drop dead gorgeous. She has red spandex and the new A2L3 Space Goggles on. I am in love.

" I'm hungry." I say. _Wait what did I just say?!_

" Hey Hungry, I'm Holly."

Holly touches my cheek and pushes my floating eye ball into my socket.

"Ow. It hurts." I close my eyelid and readjust my eyeball. "You're beautiful Haley"

"It's Holly."

"Oh right."

Holly whips out an eyepatch and wraps it around my face.

I sport a mega watt smile in glee. " Now I'm a real space pirate!"

Holly rips out her hair and proceeds to stitch my arm back to my body with it. " You're smart. I totally would've cut open my torso to use my intestines as string."

I pause and watch Holly fix me. " Did I tell you you're beautiful?"

" Yes, in fact you did. About 12 times actually."

" Can I kiss you?" I want to kiss her. She's beautiful. "I want to make alien babies with her, is that even possible? Why is she so damn gorgeous. Gail Peck likes Holly."

" Third person…God…You know you said that out loud right?"

" Did I tell you you're beautiful?"

Holly chuckles.

I look at her face and feel slightly offended. " Are you teasing me Holly?" I glare at her as she continues to stitch my arm. " You know, look at the milky way, and all these stars in the sky. The galaxies that expand for light years and beyond. But you know what Holly?"

" Yes?"

" Nothing, not even blood pudding, is more beautiful than you." I say in the utmost genuine voice I can muster. I press a kiss to her forehead. " Did I tell you you're beautiful?"

" You are such a geek. No more sci-fi shows for you. C'mon Gail, let me take you home." Holly pulls me off and away from the planet I landed on.

A man held his stomach trying hard not to burst out laughing.

" I hope you recorded that Steve." Holly says.

" Gail on Oxycodone Part 4." Steve waves his cell phone in triumph. " Sophie will get a kick out of this when she's a teenager.

" What are you talking about! Are you conspiring against me Holly?" I accuse and look around. The intergalactic world has faded into white walls all around me. I feel confined. "Am I dead?"

" No Honey."

" I don't eat Honey! I eat blood pudding. Where is my straightjacket Haley!" I yell as I'm being pulled out through a rectangular contraption that swings open.


	6. For Better or 4 Drunk

**Gail's speed dial:**

**1) Mother Hell-Raising Dearest**

**2) Daddy**

**3) Inferior Peckling**

**4) My Lunchbox**

**5) Donut Buddy**

Seeing Gail Peck in her natural habitat, the Black Penny, and being graced with the presence of drunk Gail was customary.

Everyone always knew when Gail Peck was drunk. If you didn't then you were either Gerald, or the Hose Jockeys that were brave enough to even enter a cop bar.

Gail never drank alone, unless two of the following occurred: she was coming from a horrible blind date, which actually didn't happen anymore since her mother was notified that Gail was _the _big gay distraction everyone was raving about, _or _Holly went nerd mode and cancelled last minute because of her late night I'm-going-to-get-ahead-of-paperwork mood.

Gail never eased her way into drinking, she started with the big guns, Patron and Jose Cuervo. She was a Peck after all.

It took more than a few shots to get Gail buzzed. At this early in the night, Gail was demanding for alcohol. All she was there for was to have a good time and get drunk. It's how you live the Gail Peck After Hours way. Within the half-hour she partook in the Fact-Game with her officer friends: Chris, Chloe, Dov, and Andy. Gail wasn't really good at the nerd-herd game, she _only_ knew anything and everything regarding Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and the periodic table (Holly was singing the periodic table song for hours one night). The only time she did win the game was when Holly was there to whisper all the answers in her ear, much to everyone's protest and yells of cheater. Otherwise, Gail was usually in the negative points range by now. She usually retired by the time her 10th shot rolled around and she was nearly drunk.

Usually around the nearly-drunk time, Gail started singing on the karaoke machine in the corner of the bar. For the harsh words that rolled off her tongue, people were surprised that the woman had a beautiful voice. A voice of a siren that could easily lure you in and in an instant, then degrade you till you crawled up in a ball. Gail usually sang songs regarding love and lust, mindful that they were all

dedicated to her girlfriend. When Holly was able to attend on those nights, she would swoon, but at the same time, she would glare daggers at all the drunk men _and _women who were cat calling and throwing money at her. But since Gail was alone at this night, she sang a few songs and then seated herself back to the bar counter alone.

At this point, after replacing the Tequila with her second love, Whiskey, she was completely drunk. And when Gail was a hot mess like this, she really showed it. She would start to ask for Holly Stewart, Lunchbox, Nerdbian, Forensic Pathologist, and Holly Stewart once again, in that order. Drunk Gail wanted nothing but Holly. She wanted to see Holly. She wanted to talk to Holly. She wanted Holly to take her home, stroke her hair, and be her big spoon till she blissfully fell asleep under their silk duvet. Safe and sound till the morning came in which Gail would be greeted with a hangover, morning headaches, responses from crazy drunk texts, and Holly's lecturing.

On the rare occasion when Holly was present at this phase, two in counting, Gail asked Holly to take her to Vegas so they could get married. Holly obviously shut her down, but in the nicest way possible. Holly was the only person that could handle drunk Gail.

Therefore, whenever Gail was drunk, anyone who didn't fit the description of 5''9, black framed glasses, dark brown hair that cascaded over the shoulders, and soft hands that held Gail in the most comforting way possible, would get their hands, face, and everywhere kicked, slapped and usually cursed at too when they tried to touch or help the drunk blonde.

Holly knew this, her brother knew this, and every officer of 15th division knew this; it was coined the drunk stages of Gail Peck. And you did not want to be there in the final phases of metamorphosis.

" Mmmmmm. Nerd." Gail slurred as she took another swig of her beer.

" Hey Gail. The usual?" Holly said over the phone.

" You have no faith in me do you, Dr. Stewart."

Holly glanced at the clock as she pressed her shoulder up to hold the cell phone. She had been working all night on a new article for the National Forensic Pathology quarterly.

" Well, this is the usual time Gail. It is 1am after all."

" Holly Stewart?"

" Yes Gail?"

" It's Gail Peck to you."

Holly sighed and let a chuckle escape her lips. " Yes Gail Peck?" She corrected.

" I, Gail Peck, take you, to be my lawfully wedded wife-"

" I think it's time for me to pick you up now."

" Holly, stop interrupting meee," Gail drawled as she held onto the "e" for a few more seconds." Anyways. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health, until death makes me sober…"

" Drunk Gail, I love you, but I think I love sober Gail a bit more."

" Well drunk Gail doesn't like you either!"

Holly could just envision Gail pouting right now. The forensic pathologist locked the door behind her and set off into the night to relieve the blonde of her solitude.

" I love you Gail."

Gail paused, but gave in after a few seconds, " I love you too Holly." she said and smiled, pushing her last shot glass away from her.

Gail dropped the call. Gail was smart, but she had to admit that her girlfriend was smarter in her own nerdy way. She looked at her home screen of her phone and read the bolded sentence shining in the background before she shut it off to wait for Holly. It was familiar. It was simple and straightforward and she had to admit, she didn't even have to look at it anymore to know what to do when she was at this stage of drunkenness: **If i'm drunk, call no. 4 on speed dial. **


	7. High in the Treetops

Gail dug the tip of her leather boot on the bark, testing the sturdiness of the oak, much to her dissatisfaction. She frowned as her fingertips nervously tousled with the ends of her leather glove. Zephyrs passed high above the clouds as they picked up the melodious sound of the birds far off in the distance.

" Why are we climbing trees Holly?" She asked.

" I thought you happened to like trees Gail?" The woman said high above her.

Gail looked up and frowned. " Don't be a smartass Holly. And Firstly, I _used_ to like jumping out of trees. Secondly it was just in a metaphorical sense."

" Well duh." Holly laughed and gave Gail a helping hand, hoisting the thin fram up and onto her own lap.

" Can you just tell me why we are here again?" Gail pulled Holly's hands over her waist to steady herself on the treetops. The blonde pulled off her glove and proceeded to dust the tiny branches and weathered leaves off her shoulder.

" Did you ever hear that stupid song that mentions two names and taunts of kissing in the tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g?" A lighthearted laughter escaped Holly's lips as her wife huffed. " I've always wanted to do that." Holly teased further.

Gail turned her head and stared deadpanned for a brief moment before pressing a soft kiss on her lips. " Really now Holly Anne Stewart?"

Gail never pulled out Holly's whole name unless she did something wrong. Gail noticed Holly's fleeting eyes in response to her full name. The blonde smiled.

" You know I kid with you." Holly sheepishly said.

Gail leaned back onto Holly's chest and swung her legs idly within the air.

Holly overlooked the tall buildings, nestled together within the fog across the river. Holly loved Vancouver, she grew up here.

" Close your eyes and wait for it." Holly's lips ghosted over Gail's ear.

It was coming, Holly could feel it.

Gail closed her eyes. All she could do now was listen to the silence with her ears, feel the warmth of Holly's body melded perfectly with hers, taste the chill of the breeze, and smell the musky scent of the oak. Gail may have not liked their current position, high up in the trees, but the vexation drew to a close as she focused solely on the fact that she was here with someone she cared for; it was trust and love at its most profound.

" Listen." Holly smiled.

Gail nodded with closed eyes as she listened. Soft patters resonated within Gail's ears, she counted each individual beat, in realization that it wasn't finite.

" What do you smell?" Holly asked.

Gail breathed in through her nose in tandem with Holly. The smoky scent of the tree that sat in was dulled by an overwhelming sense of freshness. A fresh aroma tickled the tip of her nose. It surprised Gail, a scent so pure that could likely triumph over her preferred fragrance of freesias.

Gail still held her eyes closed as she felt Holly intertwine their hands and reach out across. The rhythm of the snow differed as Gail felt their interlaced fingers gloss with a soft weight, that nearly melted within a breath. The cold touch of the weight was comforting. Gail smiled as her head was slightly turned by a familiar hand.

What Gail tasted then was sweet.A flavor that she'd grown well accustomed to over the many years of their promised forever. The taste of Holly's lips was always sweet, and each kiss always pulled gail into a wonderful euphoria no matter where they were.

Holly pulled back and let Gail rest her head on her cheek. " I want you to open your eyes now Gail."

Gail savored the moment: she listened for the pattered beats, she whiffed the freshness of the falling crystals, and she licked her lips slowly as the lingering sweetness graced her tongue.

Gail opened her eyes. It was the first snow of the season.


	8. Just Listen

"Holly?"

The voice sounded exhausted, carelessly showing little inflection to the tone, but it still held a warmth that caused the older woman to stir under the sheets and arise from slumber. She blinked her eyes a few times and let a long-awaited sigh escape her lips, "What time is it?"

" About 5am." A guilty pause hung in the air for a few seconds. " I didn't think you'd answer. I'm sorry, I just wanted-"

" It's okay." Holly said as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

There was a doubtful pause this time. " But-"

" Gail."

" Yes, Holly?"

" I wanted to hear your voice too."

* * *

_John Doe, shot on the occipitofrontal with a 9mm bullet, died instantly on impact. _

Holly let her eyes wander the report for a few minutes, realizing that she had been reading the same line over and over again.

" Up late watching reruns of Keeping up with the Kardashians?"

Lena's voice appeared out of thin air, pulling Holly from her daydream. She poked the dull end of the scalpel at the Senior Resident Forensic Pathologist of San Francisco, who grunted in response. "You've yawned about five times during my quest to hack this head open. What's up?"

"Nothing." Holly stifled another yawn and flipped through the packet, trying to absorb the little information she had gained initially. " I had stuff to do."

" I see." A hint of disbelief in the intern's tone. " Did Gail call?"

It only took a brief hesitation before the habitual motherly speech commenced, "Really Holly? You need to stop this, the bags under your eyes are the size of melons."

" Melons are not bag-shaped, Lena." Holly bit back.

Lena sighed and poked her friend on the torso once again. " You know what I mean Hols. Does that beat cop have no consideration for you at all?"

Holly flinched at the two words that she actually picked up on. They were familiar, and it made her heart ache at the memory. " She's not a beat cop Lena…"

The woman ignored Holly's words and continued on "The time difference Holly. She's going to keep calling you because she thinks you're okay with it. But clearly you need to tell her it's not okay."

It's fine, but Holly shook her head, she didn't want to argue at this point.

Lena threw her hands up in the air, scalpel in hand, groaning in frustration at Holly's lack of response. " Just don't come to me when this becomes a habit that that woman can't and will not break."

* * *

"Holly?"

" Yes Gail?"

" You sound different today."

" Hmm?" The woman pulled herself up against the pillows.

" You sound quiet."

Holly glanced at the clock and squinted her eyes since her glasses were tossed haphazardly in exhaustion the previous night. " It's 5am Gail, my voice should sound like this. I'd probably be in a psyche ward if I was perky and cheerful at this hour, especially with my job description."

Gail laughed on the other line hiding the small guilt she felt for calling Holly at this ungodly hour. The blonde woman felt more at ease if she heard her lover's voice over the phone. Holly's voice always comforted the lonely woman, it helped her get through the day without worry. " I mean, you sound drained."

Holly sighed and closed her eyes, sitting in silence.

" Lena messaged me today."

Holly sighed again, biting the end of her lip in annoyance. She could almost see the guilty smile plastered on Gail's face as she whispered quietly, "I'm sorry."

" It's okay Gail."

" If it bothers you-

" It doesn't."

She paused with disbelief, " I just wanted to-"

" I know."

The two women let the silence fill the air until Holly returned the unspoken words.

" I love you too."

* * *

" You could just turn off your phone Holly. It would be way easier."

" Just let the phone calls go to voicemail! You guys can leave each other voicemails instead of engaging in those ridiculous late night conversations. " Jenna added.

" Early morning, you mean." Lena corrected.

" Shut up." Holly sighed once again. " My phone is my alarm clock."

" That is such a bullshit excuse, and you know it. And we all know you have an alarm clock by your nightstand."

Lena crossed her arms in defeat. " We're just worried for your wellbeing Nerd."

" I know Hols, we don't want you to end up on the morgue table." Jenna added.

" Don't you have a devoted relationship with sleep? You love it more than me!" Lena teased.

Holly smiled. " I used to."

* * *

" Maybe we should stop."

Holly sat up in bed, running her fingers lazily through her haystack of hair. " Stop what?"

" This."

Holly paused, fully awake now.

" I love you Hols, but I know this is taking a toll on you. It's hurting you, and that's the last thing I want to do." Gail's words slipped from her lips way too quickly. " Maybe we can be happy knowing that I love you and you love me, and hopefully someday it'll just be better?". The other woman on the line continued with doubt.

Holly could hear the the nervousness in the woman's tone and how Gail drew a breath too quickly. Holly could tell she was going to cry. Or maybe Holly was the one who was about to cry.

" Holly?"

" Please don't."

" Go back to sleep Hols."

" Please don't do this Gail." Holly pleaded, stubbornly holding the tears back.

There was no response.

Holly paused briefly, dabbing the corner of her eyes with her shirt. " When will I hear from you?"

A cloaked silence swept through the line, across the 2,824 miles of longing, contentment, and what Holly thought was love. She swore she could hear her heart wither away, muted by the heavy silence between them.

" Sleep well Lunchbox."

Holly heard the dial tone drop.

Holly laid in bed under the warm covers, nestled between her pillow and _the _pillow, under the shade of moonlight peaking through the blinds. She closed her eyes, but she did not sleep.

* * *

3:00am. No call. No message.

Same went for 4:30.

5:30 passed within a breath, and at that point, Holly knew that Gail wasn't going to call.

Holly had woken up 3 times, in the middle of the night, more exhausted than she ever was before.

This was what she needed to get used to.

This was the new pattern.

And this was the new habit that would hold her merciless against a chokehold.

* * *

" Really Holly? I'm going to physically punch Gail in the face."

" What?" Holly flinched against the wall and her head snaps up at the mention of her name.

" You were standing and sleeping against the wall. I saw you. " Lena spat out in disapproval. " I thought Gail stopped calling?"

" She did."

* * *

It was an unsteady pulse that filled the air, the soft patters of droplets cascaded down from a sole black umbrella. A vast emptiness clung to the atmosphere as a woman stared at the grey clouds, nestled within her peacoat, not a ray of sunshine. _Of all days. _Holly sighed.

It was far from melancholic though; the presence lightheartedness eclipsed the background and emitted a warmth in Holly to contrast the chill.

Holly sat on a lone bench by the park. She let her hands cradle her face in fatigue. She questioned whether she should just take the next flight back to her new home.

* * *

" Holly?"

The sleeping woman's eyes cracked open to see Gail's concerned face, peering down at her from above. Holly looked at Gail, really looked at her to see if she was real." Gail?"

Holly was going to hear the longest lecture of her life. " What are you doing out here? It's raining firstly. You could have gotten sick, robbed…raped." Gail trailed off in anger. " What if something bad happened to you? What if-"

Holly cut the woman off and pulled her down onto the bench next to her. She held Gail's face by her cheeks and stared into her blue eyes.

" I'm fine Gail." Holly assured her.

Was she really? Holly let Gail's eyes linger in hers. She felt it, and she saw it briefly flicker in Gail's eyes.

" I don't care what time you call me Gail."

" Holly you really didn't need to come over here and tell me that."

" I know."

A few minutes passed as they sat looking across from each other, avoiding each others gazes.

" So…"

"…So what?" Gail asked.

" Despite the distance, being here, with this long awaited time apart made me realize that I fall in love with you every time I hear your voice in the morning, at 5am. " Holly said as she stood up and straightened up her coat. " It gives me closure, being here."

" So this is it then?" Gail said in disbelief as she stood up right beside the woman, looking forward across the grassy expanse. They both looked far, the unseen paths, Holly giving up too soon to realize there was a road that converged.

Gail stood in the rain.

The raindrops fell, and pattered onto the tips of Holly's leather boots, as she slowly walked away. But Gail noticed something in each step she had observed, they faltered slightly, like a broken record trying to produce that clear sound that it used to have.

Gail looked forward once again at her unseen path, but she looked towards Holly and took a step in her direction. Gail's feet picked up beneath her, she could feel the puddles lightly splash at the ends of her jeans. Gail pulled Holly's arm and swung her around.

It was Gail this time. She let Holly's warm gaze melt the icey skies of her leaned down to press her lips on the woman. The kiss was a bit frosty, but as Gail left her lips to linger, she could taste the faint sweetness. They felt their breaths ghosting on each other's lips as they gazed into each other's eyes, a common habit they used to have whether in times of sensuality or across the hall back at the station.

Holly let her forehead rest on Gail's. Their eyes always found each other amongst the murky clouds and disarray.

Holly shook her head. She made her decision, she couldn't handle this. She pulled back and pushed Gail a bit too forcefully away from her. But Gail walked towards her.

" Just listen."

Gail's voice laced with sincerity.

" Don't go. This is home." Gail pressed her palm where Holly's heart would be, and rested it there.

"This is where you're meant to be. "


	9. Kiss Me

It physically hurt.

Holly wasn't sure if her heart could handle this tempo pounding at her chest. Holly wasn't even sure if she could respire fast enough to let her thoughts run clearly through her mind.

Holly was winded.

It was simple though: she fell hard, she stumbled, and all the words slipped away.

Every single time Gail pulled Holly into a kiss, Holly felt that beautiful torture. But despite that discomfort, she craved for more. Holly was in love.


	10. In the Morning When I Wake

It was simple.

How Gail's chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm.

To Holly, It was a beautiful sight to see. She always arose from slumber half past 5, when the sun hadn't peaked through the blinds and onto her lover's face.

She was an early riser, but what she loved most was to take in the peace of silence and gaze at the woman beside her.

Breathing was simple, inhaling and exhaling, but Holly saw more to that.

She went through the process of breathing in her head, how the inhalation was due to the contraction and flattening of the diaphragm that separated the thorax and abdomen. If the abdomen was relaxed, the contraction caused the abdomen to bulge outwards, expanding the volume of the body.

Exhalation was the opposite. The diaphragm relaxed and caused the tissue to rise up and put pressure on the lungs to expel air that was rich with carbon dioxide.

This was quiet, relaxed breathing that needed little energy.

Others simply saw how the chest rose and fell, but when actually knowing the mechanics, such a simple gesture had a far greater complexity. It was a sign, that reassured Holly that her wife was alive, and that she would be looking forward to the usual ' I love you' calls and texts throughout the day as she stayed home to take care of their newborn.

Although, Holly noticed other things too. She had years to observe each morning with Gail. How the lids of her eyes opened every so often and smiled before falling back asleep. Or how her lips were parted ever so slightly. Those moments Holly wanted to lean over and press her lips on them, but she didn't want to disturb the calmness of their morning.

Gail was beautiful when she slept, but when she woke up on most weekdays, she was cranky and adorably petulant.

She would roll around in bed for a few minutes before reaching over to the night stand and taking a sip of her morning coffee that Holly had prepared. The smell and taste of coffee calmed the woman, before she would later realize, after glancing over at their digital clock, that she was running late for work. Holly would hear familiar mutters of 'Fuck' coming from their master bedroom. Clothes were being flung around as Gail searched for the one missing item of clothing for her uniform. Holly's usual response was chastising the rampaging woman, saying that those words were not appropriate for the baby. Gail usually bit back as she walked over to the nursery, buckling her belt in the process, where her wife sat with the newborn baby in her arms. Gail would hastily kiss their child and Holly before she ran out the door.

Gail's breathing stunted for a brief moment before coughing.

Holly was already by her side in less than a heartbeat, " Gail change your position, breathe." She whispered.

The blonde woman shifted to her side and snuggled within Holly's arms before falling back asleep.

Holly focused her attention on Gail, waiting for her breaths to become steady once again before falling back asleep.

Their bodies lied together, tangled in a mess of comforters and legs before loud wails sounded across the hall.

They chose to ignore it for a few seconds, hoping that it would halt, but it kept going in a steady mantra. Both women groggily arose from their bed, the blonde rubbing her eyes and stretching, while the brunette sloppily adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose.

Gail took the lead, as Holly trailed behind her towards the nursery.

This was the usual weekend morning for the Peck-Stewart's.

This was their life together. Always.


	11. Operation

The body shook violently atop the table. The surge of energy ran through him, and he continued to convulse.

" Fuck you're killing him Gail." Holly screamed. " Stop it, please. Just…"

Gail hung her head down and gave up in frustration. She slapped the tweezers into Holly's hand.

" See Holly? I hate this dumb game." Gail glared at the woman who successfully pulled out the heart piece within seconds. " This is why I'm not a doctor. I would kill people."

" Hey, I got my ass kicked in Clue every single time. It's time for Dr. Watson to have some fun, Sherlock."

Gail rolled her eyes. " Haha, very funny." Gail sneered.

" Don't make me get out the molecule kit, we could have fun making molecules with Harper. We both know our little girl favors science over criminal justice."

" I'm pretty sure she chose the detective jammies over the doctor ones."

" Whatever."

" Whatever." Gail mimicked in a teasing tone.


End file.
